Pete Hegseth Blocks Admiral Promotions, Women Officers Hit Hardest

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has blocked several senior Navy promotions, including the promotions of seven US Navy officers selected to become two-star admirals, according to a report.

The officers were part of a list of 22 candidates chosen by a board of senior admirals after reviewing their performance over careers spanning more than 25 years, reported The NY Times.

One of the officers removed from the promotion list is Rear Adm. Amy Bauernschmidt, who made history in 2020 as the first woman to command the crew of a US Navy's 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

According to current and former defense officials, five of the seven officers are women or people of color. If that happens, it will be the first time in more than a decade that the US Navy has not promoted an active-duty woman to admiral.

Hegseth has not publicly explained the reason behind the removal of officers from the promotion list. However, he has repeatedly argued that the US military has focused too much on promoting women and people of color instead of selecting candidates based only on merit. 

In his 2024 book, The War on Warriors, Hegseth wrote, "Affirmative action promotions have skyrocketed with 'firsts' being the most important factor in filling new commands. We will not stop until trans-lesbian Black females run everything!"

Women make up about 21 per cent of the active-duty US Navy, but only around 7 per cent of its active-duty admirals are women. 

Since taking office, Hegseth has fired, sidelined or removed more than 40 senior military officers from promotion lists and more than two dozen generals and admirals, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead the Navy. Reports say more than half of those affected have been women or Black officers.

In a July 6 letter, seven Democratic senators have questioned Hegseth's decision, saying it appears to ignore the officers' achievements. 

They also said the move may have violated Pentagon policy, which allows officers to be removed from promotion lists only over concerns about their moral, mental, physical or professional ability. The Pentagon has declined to comment on Hegseth's decision.

The officers removed from the promotion lists cannot move to the next rank unless they are nominated again and confirmed by the US Senate.